Didn’t play this album until a few weeks after I bought it.* Now, though, it shows up at random times.

While pouring milk into a cereal bowl I’ll think of “The Mystery Zone,” its echoing guitars and themes of danger. Later, I walk back to my desk after lunch with coworkers while whistling “Nobody Gets Me But You.” Then “Who Makes Your Money” and its slow-motion synth join me on the train ride after work.

The album is curious and kitchy, and Spoon’s sound is intact but transformed. Vocals cut out before they finish, leaving the rhythm section alone to carry the song. Some catchier songs are accompanied by halting, disorienting rhythm (“Is Love Forever?”).

All in all, it’s good old Spoon with a twist. “Transference” is a psychological phenomenon of emotional redirection—unconsciously transferring older feelings to someone new. Yeah, that sounds about right.

_* I’ll write about buying music a little later.